Petrichor
by thecolfox
Summary: "You were afraid." Afraid? Desperate might have been more appropriate. Rin's coming into his life had been like a monsoon that followed a drought. Nothing in his life had been good, or kind before her. It had been empty, he had been empty. That day in the forest, it was not Rin who was saved, but him. One shot about the first time Sesshomaru and Rin reveal their feelings. Sessrin.


This is just some one-shot, Sessrin fluff for you all to enjoy concerning the first time Rin and Sesshomaru reveal their feelings for one another. Hope you like! I had a LOT of fun writing this one!

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The rain had been pouring for hours.

Rin could hear the little drops on the roof, and outside in puddles. The air was warm and wet and Rin had rolled up the bottom of her kimono to keep cool. It seemed like it had been going on forever and Rin wasn't very happy about it. She couldn't go out and do anything since the river was overflowing and everything had become swampy. Sesshomaru was the only one who left the small home they were currently occupying until the weather improved, and occasionally Jaken, though he always made a terrible fuss about it.

Rin sighed heavily and stared out the window. She wasn't a child anymore, she would have 19 summers this year and yet she always felt like she had 10 again on days like this. Cooped up in the house she became fidgety and restless just as she had as a girl once Sesshomaru had left her in the village. The change from traveling the countryside to living in the village had been difficult on her wanderlust. Of course she'd been happy there for so many years but traveling with Sesshomaru and Jaken had once again made her restless whenever they stayed in any place too long

She wondered if Sesshomaru felt the same. They had been here a few days now, after all. Slowly, her eyes trailed over to the demon who sat nearby, nestled in the corner; stark white and silver against the dark wood of the walls. He never seemed bored or restless, at least not in the same ways that Rin did. Rin knew he _must_ be, he didn't like to stay anywhere for very long either, but when it came to waiting out the weather or something like this… he hardly seemed bothered at all!

And somehow he didn't seem to be the slightest bit uncomfortable in all of that clothing and armor! She pulled up her kimono a bit more and slid closer to the demon. "Lord Sesshomaru…"

One golden eye cracked open to look at her. "Rin."

"Do you ever get bored, my lord?"

He raised a brow at her, obviously wishing for her to expand on the question.

"I mean when we're stuck inside like this! Do you ever just get bored not talking or doing anything for so many hours? It's so quiet and stuffy in here... " she huffed.

"I do not need to speak or move to occupy my mind, Rin."

"Hm." Rin's brows furrowed as she thought on this answer. Sesshomaru was rather introverted after all, the opposite of herself. Rin liked to talk and move around and be active. She always wanted to be doing something if at all possible. The idea of staying up in her head for so long seemed particularly daunting in this situation. After a few moments she looked up at him again.

"My lord… do you think it would be alright if I braided your hair? I'm so bored I'm going to go out of my mind if it keeps raining much longer!"

Sesshomaru's eyes rested on her briefly and she thought she saw the faintest trace of _amusement_ ripple through them before he slowly shifted forward, pulling the swords that rested at his side away from his sash and setting them on the floor nearby. Rin beamed happily and got up, hurrying over to him before dropping to sit on her knees behind him. She wasted no time burying her hands into the fine, silky hair of her lord, pulling it gently away from his neck. To her surprise, though his hair was still cool, the back of his kimono did feel a bit warm. Rin wondered why he wouldn't take off the armor to help..? She ran her fingers through it slowly to separate it into sections. There were rarely any tangles in his hair and Rin wondered if he made it that way with his powers, or perhaps it was simply like that for demons. She remembered that Inuyasha's hair got tangled occasionally, because she'd seen Kagome brush it out, but not as badly as hers did.

How lucky her lord was that he never had to deal with things like tangles.

"Lord Sesshomaru."

"Rin."

"Did your mother ever brush your hair for you when you were little?" she asked quietly as she ran her fingers through the sections, staring fondly at the strands of spun silver which fell across her fingers. There was no immediate response, but Rin was in no hurry since the rain had decided _it_ wasn't either.

Sesshomaru considered this for a moment, trying to recall if he and his mother had ever done such a thing. She had never been one for such overtly affectionate gestures, and when she had it was usually in some ridiculous display of overindulgence, but she _had_ always been rather concerned with appearances. He remembered often wearing his hair in a ponytail as a child, though he was not certain now if it was his mother's doing or his own choice. Perhaps another pathetic way of mimicking his late father. Perhaps some mixture of the two.

"It is possible. I do not remember."

Rin smiled a bit. "My mother brushed my hair like this, with her fingers, especially when I was going to sleep. She would let me sit in her lap and she would stroke my hair and tell me stories or sing songs to me, when she was alive…" Rin's voice paused momentarily before she continued, "I always thought it felt so nice."

Sesshomaru listened in silence to the girl's voice. Though he possessed no similar, strong emotional attachment to his mother, he understood that it was normal that Rin should mourn her deceased parents. Humans were more prone to being upset over such attachments than demons were and he'd heard Rin say surprisingly little about them.

"You miss your family." he concluded.

The girl blinked as she worked on the braid, tucking the strands together and smoothing out any stray hairs that managed to escape.

"Sometimes, yes... But I have a new family I love too! Master Jaken is like the grumpy old grandpa I never got to have!" she giggled a bit, her knuckles brushing against the back of his kimono. _Warm_. "Kohaku and Inuyasha and Shippo are like my older brothers. And Kagome and Sango and the twins are my sisters! I never even had sisters, only brothers, so I think I'm very lucky after all. I'm glad I grew up with all of them, and Kaede too."

Sesshomaru considered this quietly for a moment, noticing he was notably absent from her list of new familial ties.

"And what am I." The question came, smooth and slow.

Rin's fingers faltered, "My lord?"

"You stated you consider Jaken and Inuyasha's group your family." He said easily. He had never really considered just… what Rin thought of him as. Her guardian, her protector, certainly he had been both. Her lord, perhaps. But Rin was not a servant, nor was she _simply_ his ward. Sesshomaru had never considered himself a surrogate parent, either, for that matter. There was… a connection between them of some kind. If not, surely they would have ceased to travel together long ago. But they remained in each other's company, chose to remain. Sesshomaru, himself, had come to terms with his _regard_ for Rin, but somehow, he had never thought to ask Rin how _she_ felt about _him_.

"I.. well. Y-You're my family as well, of course." her hands fell away from his braid and did not immediately return. Sesshomaru had a rather distinct suspicion that they were fidgeting with the sleeves of her kimono, as she was prone to do when she was trying to conceal something or had been made uncomfortable.

"Rin?" His tone made it quite clear he knew what was going on. He did not need to see her to know after all these years.

"I…" she mumbled, glancing off. Her fingers were indeed fidgeting with one another and her throat suddenly felt rather dry.

He sighed impatiently and began to turn to her when he felt her hands suddenly grip his shoulders, her fingers gripping his kimono.

"No, don't, my lord. I…"

The words fell from Rin's lips, an unspoken secret slipping out with every word. Sesshomaru was surprised at first by her insistence that he not turn and face her, but he quickly frowned at her unusual behavior.

"What is it, Rin."

"It's nothing."

"Rin." Sesshomaru turned around to face the girl, confused as to why his question had caused her to grow so upset so quickly. He had no intention of upsetting her when he asked, after all, he simply wished to know what she thought of him.

"I LOVE YOU." She blurted out the words with no grace whatsoever. Her hands started to fly to her mouth but jerked to a stop at about her shoulders as she stared at him, their eyes locked in surprise. Rin had never seen Sesshomaru seem as off-guard as he did in that moment, eyes slightly wide, pupil's contracted so small they were nothing more than black slits in a sea of gold.

"I love you..." she breathed, the words softer and somehow even more urgent as she chanted them. "I love you, I… I've always loved you. My whole life I've known I wanted to be with you. When I was little it was different, I just loved you like.. like little girl's do. I adored you. Idolized you. You were my friend and my protector. But then I got older and it changed and I… I love you… _Sesshomaru_." The last words were whispers again as her hands jerked the rest of the way up her body, clamping down over her mouth. Her cheeks reminded him of the pattern that adorned his kimono, bright and vivid red.

It was the first time she'd ever called him by name without 'lord' preceding it.

Sesshomaru's took a moment to absorb her words, and he was vaguely aware that his face must have looked ridiculous, gaping at her like a fool. He composed himself after some time, eyeing her silently. Her large brown eyes tore away from him and he knew she was beginning to doubt, to feel insecure.

Foolish girl.

Rin bit her lip, taking her hands away from her face and opened her mouth to say something until she felt something cool slide against her cheek. Her eyes snapped back to her lord, widening when she saw that his hand had slid forward to cup her cheek.

"Rin."

"Lord Sesshomaru…"

He resisted the urge to show his distaste at the return of the honorific. He watched her, staring down into her eyes calmly. Rin on the other hand pursed her lips in annoyance. Did he always have to be so calm and composed? He took everything in stride, he always had…

"You wish… to be with this Sesshomaru, then. Is that it."

Rin felt her heart skip a beat and her head get fluttery.

"My lord, I-" she paused, flushing darker still when she felt his thumb slide across her cheek and over her pink lips to quiet her.

"Rin." He stared down at her, that glimmer of amusement flickering through his golden eyes again to her complete annoyance until the next words left his mouth.

"Do as you please."

Rin's eyes widened as she stared up at him in wonder. He was consenting to her feelings. To her love. Her eyes began to shine with tears but she did not cry, instead pressing her cheek into his touch. The most brilliant smile spread across her lips as she nuzzled her face gently against his hand. He watched her, his face softening somewhat at the earnest display of affection. A consideration he would only ever allow for Rin.

One of many, he supposed.

He pulled her forward, closer to him. Rin seemed encouraged by this and let her arms tentatively find their around his neck, her fingers hooking together as she sighed into him. Sesshomaru's nails lightly dragged their way up her back, eventually reaching her shoulder and brushing her hair aside. He leaned down and buried his nose against the base of her ear, causing a flustered shudder to run through her.

"This Sesshomaru is yours as long as you wish it." He breathed against her skin. Sesshomaru would always allow her to change her mind, to pursue a normal life. What Rin wanted had been his priority for some time now. But if for now, at least, she wanted this...

Rin inhaled quickly. Years of doubt, of second-guessing, of hearing Jaken in her head reminding her that she would not live long enough to be an important part of Sesshomaru's life were erased in a moment and Rin sighed. If she had known back then… well, it didn't matter now. She had the rest of her life to rub it in Jaken's face. She had the rest of her life, no matter how long or short, to be with her lord.

"I will always be with Lord Sesshomaru." she whispered into his shoulder, "Forever and ever."

Rin felt him drag his nose down the length of her neck slowly before drawing it back up, letting it brush her jaw before his his lips took its place. He placed a soft, deliberate kiss behind her ear and her fingers gripped his kimono, her cheeks flaring up again. He pulled away to give her some space, looking down at her. Rin marveled up at him. She'd never imagined, even in her wildest dreams, that Sesshomaru could be… anything like this. His usually hard, distant eyes were soft and warm as he watched her, and it made Rin's heart pound in her chest. Slowly, and perhaps a little more clumsily than she'd have liked Rin leaned up and pressed her lips against his, closing her eyes tightly. Sesshomaru's long, pale fingers disappeared into her hair, keeping her lips connected to his for a long moment. Her heart and stomach fluttered again.

She loved Lord Sesshomaru and her lord loved her as well. He didn't have to say it, this was proof enough.

Rin pulled away slowly and opened her eyes, glancing up at him. Sesshomaru's thumb lightly traced a line along her jaw. His eyes were not on hers, but, on other parts of her. Her jaw, her lips, the curve of her neck, as though he were looking at her with different eyes. She wanted him to look at her like that forever. Rin went to press close to him again only to be stopped by the armored pauldron that adorned the silver demon. She stared at it for a moment in frustration before looking up at Sesshomaru.

He pulled his eyes up to meet hers, raising a brow. This time the amusement was quite obvious. "You wish to disrobe me so soon, Rin?"

Rin flushed darkly at his teasing, sputtering, "N-No! That's.. that's not it! I just want to be closer to you and it's in the way!"

Sesshomaru reached up, his fingers easily undoing the red, braided ties that held the large pauldron together. Once the shoulder piece had been detached, he simply gripped the chest covering and pulled it over his head, setting it to the side with an audible thud. Rin watched with rapt curiosity. She had only ever seen him without it a few times and she'd never realized how heavy it must have been. She let her eyes run over him, all that was left was the thick kimono layers, his sash and hakama pants. Rin suddenly felt rather bashful seeing him in what was, admittedly, a certain state of undress. At least for Sesshomaru.

"Are you displeased?"

Rin looked at him indignantly. How dare he tease her like this! It wasn't fair!

"N-No!"

Sesshomaru had to admit, he did rather enjoy seeing how flustered she'd become, his Rin. So bold and yet the flush in her cheeks had spread quite clearly to her ears. His arm wound around her waist, drawing her close to him, her back pressed against his chest. A small gasp escaped her lips as he held her firmly against him, leaning down and pressing his temple to hers.

"You are sure this is what you wish, Rin?"

She nodded, drawing her knees up close to her body and wrapping her arms arounds around his, securing his embrace on her stayed as it was.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I-"

He squeezed her lightly, moving and pressing his lips against her ear. "You do not need to refer to this Sesshomaru so formally when we are alone."

Rin glanced back at him and smiled. "Very well, my lord."

Rin tensed before covering her mouth quickly. He gave her a pointed look that caused her to dissolve into a small fit of giggles. "I'm sorry."

Sesshomaru let his lips trail down her neck again. Rin sighed softly and and shivered against him, letting her fingers trace over the red stripes that crept across his otherwise pale wrists. The more little kisses he planted on her skin, the warmer she began to feel in the already humid room. Before she knew it she found herself on the floor, Sesshomaru looming over her, the backs of his fingers caressing her jaw.

Rin smiled up at him, her eyes shining with warmth, radiating the affection and happiness that was bubbling over. Her fingers still entwined around his neck, she pulled him down until their noses touched, his long, silver bangs tickling her cheeks.

"Rin." His warm breath ghosted over her face, her own dark fringe of hair was stuck to her forehead. Sesshomaru let his hand trail up slowly before brushing her bangs to the side, raising his head slightly to press his lips to her forehead. "You're warm."

"It's very warm in here…" she closed her eyes, smiling. "You never seem to be uncomfortable no matter what the weather is like."

"I am not bothered by such things very often." He mumbled deeply, running his claws lightly through her bangs.

Rin giggled. "You are bothered by very little in general, lately." She opened her eyes, gazing up at him kindly. "You seem much more at peace these days."

Sesshomaru raised a brow, looking down at her. "You say this as if you don't know the reason why."

"Of course I do. Your feud over Tetsusaiga is over, you have your own sword and have surpassed your father-"

"It is none of that." He cut her off. Rin blinked and looked up at him curiously, surprised by his response.

"The reason is you." He said, watching her intently.

Her mouth fell open slightly at his words. It was rare that Rin ever found herself short on words but she had no idea what to say. She wasn't even sure she knew what he meant.

Sesshomaru's eyes pierced straight through her, making sure feel short on breath before he sat up, staring out the window at the rain falling on the trees. "It was you that showed me that there was more to this life than hunting the ghost of my father. When you died in the underworld…" he paused, his fingers twitching. "I realized that nothing I could have gained from those pursuits was worth putting you at risk. Or worth wasting your time in this world."

Rin pulled herself up slowly, staring at him wide-eyed. He'd never told her how he felt about her second death before. Rin had naively assumed he simply took it in stride, as he did most things but, it was clear to her that that was not the case.

"You were afraid."

His eyes flickered toward her before looking back out the window again, the grey light from outside making them appear almost translucent. Afraid? Desperate was more appropriate. Rin's entrance into his life had been like a monsoon that followed a long, harsh drought. Nothing in his life had been good, or kind before her. It had been empty, he had been empty. Chasing and snapping at the heels of bitter memories because they were the only things in this world that were his and his alone. But Rin had changed it. Everything Sesshomaru found useless and boring, Rin saw value in. Flowers, sunsets, music…. love. She had seen the value in him when he certainly had not deserved any such kindness. Rin and Rin alone had quenched his thirst, not with power or violence but with compassion. All the years he had spent in this world, and he had yet to acquire patience or understanding as she had. 

That day in the forest, it was not Rin who was saved, but him. The idea of losing her so soon was unfathomable. He would have done anything it took to bring her back, or else have followed her into the dark.

"You have spent all your years with me taking nothing for granted, Rin. You appreciate everything around you, find fulfillment in things that bring you happiness." A bitter smile spread across his pale lips. "I have spent significantly more years ignoring everything in this world except my own petty, selfish desires. I have been alive, but I do not believe I lived at all before I met you."

Rin's heart skipped a beat as she stared at him, feeling her eyes well up.

"This Sesshomaru does not intend to waste anymore of your time in this world _pretending_ to live."

Rin surged forward, throwing her arms around him and pressing her body as close to his as she was able, tumbling into his lap. Despite the harsh movement the demon hardly budged an inch, simply circling one of his arms around her waist and tucking her against his side. He felt her bury her face into his kimono and the faintest trace of salt reached his nostrils. Sesshomaru watched her before leaning his head down and pressing a soft kiss to her hair.

'I, Sesshomaru… have someone to protect.'


End file.
